The Fox Protector
by L0stMarblez
Summary: One night the villagers go too far, and Naruto falls into a coma, giving the Kyuubi control of his body, who decides to continue Naruto's life as best he can. This is all well and good, but... "Kurama, can you not be such a gigantic smart-ass all the time?" "Make me, Hyuuga."
1. Chapter 1

The Sandaime Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, hurried as fast as he could through the streets of his village. Only seconds before he had felt a large burst of chakra from somewhere ahead of him. Worry and fear bubbled in the pit of his stomach, for that chakra had felt eerily familiar, and he desperately hoped that his thinking on what had just happened was wrong. As he rapidly flew around a corner into an alleyway, he stopped dead as a horrific sight met his eyes.

Bodies, limbs, and blood were everywhere, along with some makeshift weapons crafted from garden tools and whatnot, and also there were real weapons, such and kunai and shuriken littered about.

Standing in front of the mess was a small figure. It was in a slight crouch, arms splayed wide, and fingers hooked as if they were claws. The stance seemed almost like a predator, and it was noticed that the figure was breathing slightly heavily, a small snarl erupting with each exhale. His blonde hair seemed more wild and unruly than usual, accenting the first impression that this was a wild animal and not a human standing in front of him. And he was as coated with blood as the street. Hiruzen's eyes captured all of the details of the scene in a brief flicker before he stepped forward.

"Naruto?" He asked softly. The figure in front of him tensed before slowly turning around. As his face came into view, the first thing noticeable was that his bright blue eyes had been replaced by blood red irises with slits for pupils. The birthmarks on his cheeks, three black lines that resembled feline whiskers, seemed to stand out more than normal, and, with his teeth bared as they were his canines seems prominent. The boy gazed at the Hokage for several seconds before straightening from his crouch with a slight snort that sounded disdainful and relaxed into a stance that seemed guarded, but not as overtly threatening as his previous one had been.

"You're late old man." He snapped. Hiruzen picked the best words he could think of to try and calm the young orphan down.

"I'm sorry I didn't get here sooner. Are you alright?"

"Uninjured, no thanks to you," Naruto growled. Hiruzen sighed slightly.

"Why don't you tell me what happened?"

"What the bloody hell does it look like happened you old fart?" Naruto yelled.

"I understand that you were attacked, but I'm not sure what happened after that."

"I couldn't count on your stinking ANBU to help until we required hospitalization, so I took matters into my own hands." Hiruzen's eyes widened.

"You did all this?"

"That's what I said you moronic old fart." The hokage gulped.

"How?" He whispered. The boy's ruby irises gleamed and an aura of bloodlust not felt in twelve years settled on the old man in front of him.

"You know how, don't you?" He whispered. Fear coursed through the hokage's body. His worst fears were true then.

"Kyuubi!" He breathed. In response, the fox demon in front of him grinned sadistically, highlighting his extended canine teeth.

"I told you. You're late. Too late."

Hiruzen managed to get control over his emotions. "How did you break the seal?"

"I didn't. But I don't feel like explaining things in the middle of the street. You've got privacy seals in your office, right? Let's go there," Kyuubi replied boredly. Hiruzen's eyes narrowed.

"What's your agenda?"

"I said I'll explain things once we're in private. I don't really feel like fending off more waves of morons who can't tell me apart from my container tonight." Hiruzen frowned.

"I'm watching you. If you make any moves I'll take you down."

"Don't make me tear apart one of the few people my container has any affection for," Kyuubi returned seeming unimpressed with the threat. Hiruzen turned and made his way back to his office, and the demon fox followed him. Despite the powerful attitude he seemed to be trying to give off, the Hokage noticed that his eyes flickered around to the nearby houses and streets they crossed, with just the very faintest hint of tenseness in the set of his shoulders. As soon as they were in his office, he erected the privacy barriers and looked expectantly at the figure in front of him. Kyuubi glanced around before settling his eyes on the old man in front of him.

"The crowd formed and began chasing the kit. Some shinobi in the group helped corner him in the ally, and provided lethal weapons with which to kill him. They attacked. In the midst of being carved open, the kid screamed for help. I was the only one who answered. About fifteen seconds later, it was over. And you arrived then," he growled lowly. "From then until now he's been hiding in the back of our mind, letting me take charge of the body. He's still terrified out of his wits and barely paying attention to what's going on outside. The only thing he knows at this point is that I've saved his life, and he's begged me already to keep him from being hurt again. It's too bad, but I think this one was the last straw. He doesn't even want to face the world anymore. If I forced him to resume control of his body he'd probably try to kill himself."

The Hokage looked devastated by this news. "So I failed. Completely."

"Pretty much, yeah," The Kyuubi replied with a dark smirk. The Hokage looked down and a tear slipped from his eye.

"Then perhaps I should let you destroy this village."

"Maybe. Or we can try and salvage the situation," Kyuubi replied boredly. The Hokage glanced up.

"How?"

"Look, for me to destroy the village, I'd need my full power. Power that would kill this kid. I'd rather not do that, and I don't think he's ready to destroy this village either. So for now, let me take over his life, let me train him, and let me make him stronger and hopefully he'll find his desire to live again at some point. If that doesn't happen, then I will destroy the village," Kyuubi replied thoughtfully. The Hokage blinked at him.

"I would've thought you'd want to destroy the village no matter the cost to Naruto or anyone else." The Kyuubi seemed mildly uncomfortable.

"Look. This kid impresses me. He held faith in humanity for so long. I don't want to see his belief be for nothing," He said quietly. The Hokage smiled a bit.

"Alright then. Then do what you want. I'll make sure the council stays out of your way. And if civilians try you again, you can kill them, it'll save me the trouble of doing it anyway. If there's anything else I can do, let me know." The Kyuubi chuckled.

"I can think of one thing right now: I need a replacement for the Bunshin no Jutsu." The Hokage raised an eyebrow.

"Why is that?"

"Because my chakra levels are way too large. I can't control the minute amount needed for a normal clone perfectly enough to make use of the technique. I need a higher level substitute, or Naruto will never be able to pass the academy exam," Kyuubi explained. The Hokage nodded.

"I think I know just the thing. The Kage Bunshin no jutsu. It's a forbidden technique because it requires large amounts of chakra, and people have killed themselves attempting it."

The Kyubii smiled darkly. "Chakra will not be an issue. It sounds perfect."

"Good. Then this is how it works…"


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N So I go to upload chapter 1 right, and for the next hour I'm getting loads of messages of people favoriting and commenting, so now I feel epic, and I already had this (along with 3…4 is in th works) done before I decided to upload chapter 1, so here it is.**

 **ADNGO714: I take uniqueness to be a positive factor, so thanks for letting me know what you thought about chapter 1!**

 **Kat: Well, you'll see a little bit of why this is a humor fic. I hope it gets you to laugh.**

 **Leaf Ninja: Hmmm I wonder who that could be? Heheheh. Well if you want a hint, check the summary. If not, you might be able to guess by the end of this chapter.**

 **Pervyysage: Nice as in good quality, or nice as in good girls Master Jiraiya? ;)**

 **I love it when people review, so tell me what you liked, or didn't like, or maybe something you'd like to see happen. Enough yapping from me, let's do this!**

Kyuubi glanced out the window of Naruto's house as the dawn broke. He hadn't slept, opting instead to train his host's body after leaving the Hokage's office. He yawned and stretched before standing up, making sure he had all his gear, and leaving via the window and made his way to the Academy. No one waylaid him, fortunately and he was soon sliding into a seat in the classroom. Being the first one there, he chose a seat in the back row, next to the window, where he leaned back, propped his feet on the desk, and started to doze. Soon enough he was joined by Sasuke Uchiha who raised an eyebrow at him before ultimately deciding to sit next to him, since Naruto was sitting one seat away from the aisle and so on the off chance that Sakura or Ino didn't swipe that seat, he wouldn't have to sit next to one of the fangirls. Sasuke wasn't all that optimistic about that happening, but he could hope.

Slowly the room began to fill with other students. Kiba glanced over at Naruto and chuckled.

"Oy Naruto, didn't you shower this morning? You smell like crap." Akamaru seemed mildly uneasy and shied away from the blonde. Naruto glanced up at the Inuzuka.

"You have no business criticizing other people's smells, dog-breath," He said seeming mildly amused. A couple people laughed, as it was well known Kiba wasn't the sweetest-smelling individual around. Sasuke raised an eyebrow. A playful barb like that wasn't in character for Naruto. He was more likely to take insult and start yelling. He watched the blonde out of the corner of his eye, but was soon distracted by the arrival of Sakura Haruno and Ino Yamanaka. The Uchiha refrained from groaning and banging his head on his desk, instead adopting a look of complete disinterest and lacing his hands toghether in front of his face. The pink haired girl marched up to Naruto.

"Naruto, move. I want that seat," She said bossily. The blonde blinked up at her before chuckling.

"Too bad. I got here first. If you want to sit next to Duck-ass take it up with him, he arrived after me." Sakura's face turned bright red in anger and she aimed a solid punch at him.

No one was quite sure what happened next, all anyone saw was a flash of orangish-red and about a dozen solid thunks. The next thing anyone knew, Sakura was pinned to the ceiling by a bunch of kunai stabbed through the edges of her clothes. Naruto sat back down looking smug as the class burst out laughing. Sakura turned even more red, this time with embarrassment and started screaming at Naruto who simply ignored her. Sasuke hid a grin beneath his hands. He didn't want anyone to know how hilarious he found this, and the fact that he was doing a victory dance in his head over not having to sit next to the screaming banshee.

That was when the door opened and Iruka walked in with his usual, "Oy, sit down and shut up!" He then proceeded to take roll over the class's stifled giggles and Sakura's fuming silence.

"Uzumaki, Naruto…" He said boredly, fully expecting silence as his only answer.

"Yo," Naruto replied, waving two fingers casually. Iruka did a double take and looked up, eyes wide. That was when he spotted Sakura.

"Er…Why is Sakura on the ceiling?" This of course caused the class to burst out laughing again, except Shikamaru who was disturbed from his nap and yawned.

"Oh what a drag. Haruno tried to take Uzumaki's seat by force. He put her up there so she'd stop annoying him and everyone else." He immediately put his head back down and tried to doze off again. Iruka blinked several times and glanced at the blondie in question who just looked amused.

" _Naruto pulled that off? And he's actually here on time. Something's off about this. He's sitting with his back to a wall next to the window, the perfect position to see everything easily and get out quickly. Was that intentional or merely coincidence? He seems casual but also careful. I'll leave it for now and ask him about it after class."_

It was about that time that a final classmate arrived.

"U-um, sorry I'm late Iruka-sensei," Squeaked Hinata Hyuuga. Iruka smiled.

"Don't worry about it, I'm still taking roll and I hadn't gotten to your name yet. You're still on time."

"A-ah. Thank you…" She looked up at the seats and her eyes fastened on Naruto. She blinked several times before shuffling up and taking the seat next to him, opposite Sasuke. Naruto just glanced at her then leaned back against the wall and seemed to start to take a catnap, his eyes half-closed and a small smirk still on his lips. Iruka meanwhile retrieved Sakura from the ceiling and continued with roll, while the Hyuuga kept glancing sideways at Naruto.

"Undressing me with your eyes Hyuuga, or is there something else incredibly fascinating about me?" Naruto commented without opening his eyes fully or barely moving. Hinata squeaked and blushed before gulping and starting to speak.

"W-who are you?" Naruto's eyes flickered toward her under his half-closed lids.

"Who does it look like I am?" He asked sarcastically. Hinata gulped but returned his gaze with a little more force before making a handsign.

"Byakugan!" She whispered, the veins around her pupil-less eyes becoming more pronounced as she glared at him.

"You're an imposter. Naruto-kun's chakra is different from yours." Kyuubi opened his eyes fully and turned to smirk at her.

"Oh? And what's it to you, little Hyuuga? Wanted the real one so you could talk trash to him like everyone else in this town, did you?" Hinata's eyes narrowed.

"If you've hurt him… I'll make you pay," She whispered forcefully. Kyuubi's eyes widened a fraction at that before frowned thoughtfully. After a few seconds, he turned to focus on the front of the class.

"That statement you just made… prove your sincerity and perhaps you'll learn a thing or two," He said quietly.

A few hours passed, and the rest of the day proceeded rather normally. At least until a chuunin burst into the classroom out-out-of breath, as was the usual occurrence when Naruto skipped class and ended up pranking something and Iruka was required to corral him. But Naruto was in class today so…

Iruka glanced at the other Chuunin. "Yes, what is it?"

"Iruka, Naruto's just pranked the Hokage Monument! There's graffiti all over it!" The Chuunin panted. Iruka blinked before looking at Naruto who just grinned and cleared his throat loudly.

"What was that? I heard my name but I didn't catch what for as Hinata-chan here was just telling me something amusing," He said, voice conveying high amusement, showing that he did in fact hear what the Chuunin, who was now gaping at him, had said. Iruka rolled his eyes and suppressed a smile.

"Er, there must be some mistake. Naruto has been in class with me all morning. So unless he pranked the Monument before arriving, which I would've seen as I looked at it right before coming inside, he can't possibly have done it."

"B-but people saw him up there painting it!" The chuunin stuttered. Naruto chuckled.

"Sorry, but everyone in here can testify I've been in here the whole time. And everyone also knows that I suck royally at the bunshin no jutsu. Perhaps the person you saw was wearing a henge. Don't worry though, if you end up having to clean it yourself, it looks to me like they used water-soluble paint, though I might be mistaken since it is quite far away and this window could use a little cleaning," He commented casually. Several people turned to look out the window, and then there were suppressed snickers at the sight of the odd war paint designs on the great stone faces. Iruka raised an eyebrow at the blonde.

"You can tell what sort of paint was used from this distance?" Naruto laughed lightly.

"Yes Iruka-sensei. You may not have heard this put I'm widely recognized as a professional in the art of pranking, even if most only accept it grudgingly. However, it's worth noting that I'm not the only one around who does it. Everyone else's work just gets blamed on me." Iruka rolled his eyes at the sarcastic barb.

"Alright, alright. Well that's all I need from you today. Class is dismissed. Er, Naruto would you-" He was cut off by a gust of wind. The window was now open and Naruto was gone the moment the word 'dismissed' had left his sensei's mouth. Iruka sighed.

" _I was right. He is extremely tense about something. I'll go see the Hokage about it after I finish up here."_ He went to his desk and began putting away his papers. A slight cough drew his attention to the Hyuuga girl who was standing there while the rest of the class left.

"Yes, Hinata? What is it?" The Girl looked up at him shyly before mustering her resolve.

"Um, Iruka-sensei, I'm worried about Naruto-kun," She started timidly. Iruka sighed.

"Me too. He was off today but he left before I could ask him about it. I was about to go talk to the Hokage."

"But that wasn't Naruto-kun," Hinata said softly, causing him to look at her with surprise.

"What do you mean?"

"I looked at him with my Byakugan. His chakra system was a completely different color, and much bigger than I had previously seen on Naruto-kun. I think he's being impersonated by a jonin level spy at least, and may have been kidnapped," Hinata said quietly, but firmly. Iruka frowned.

" _Who would impersonate Naruto? No one from another major village even knows he exists, and even if they did, would they know about the Kyuubi, would they be able to fake that?"_ He looked back at Hinata.

"Hinata, when you've looked at Naruto with your Byakugan in the past, tell me the significant things you noticed about him." Hinata thought about it.

"His chakra is a soft, blue color that is very comforting and peaceful to look at, and he has some sort of chakra mark on his abdomen. I asked my father about it once but was warned not to inquire further, but it's invisible to anyone without a Byakugan…so it would be hard to fake," She said thoughtfully. Iruka nodded.

"Now tell me what was different about today."

"Today the Chakra inside his body was dark red. It looked as if it was made of hot water that is almost boiling. And it appeared to be emanating from the mark on his stomach," Hinata recalled. Iruka paled.

" _But…that could only mean one thing… the Ky-"_ He was interrupted as the door slid open.

"That's enough. This isn't the sort of talk to be having just anywhere," Naruto replied in a bored manner, his hands in his pockets. His eyes though were watching the both of them intensely. Iruka adopted a guarded stance but the boy locked his gaze on Hinata.

"Hyuuga. If you came upon a scene where Naruto Uzumaki was about to be killed, and the only way you could save him was to jump in front of a kunai, what would you do?" The girl glared back at him and spoke without hesitating or stuttering.

"I'd die for him without a second thought, any day." The boy looked up at Iruka.

"Teacher, same question." Iruka glanced him over calculatedly.

" _What is he after? Is this a test of some sort? Is it a game, a trick? The only thing I can do is answer honestly."_

"I would die to save the life of any of my students without hesitating, including Naruto," He said quietly. The boy blinked slowly before smirking slightly.

"I will make you a deal. We will go to the Hokage's office, and on the way you will not threaten me by word or gesture. And when we arrive, I will explain what has happened to the real Naruto." Hinata looked up at Iruka who merely nodded assent.

"Fine. Let's go."

It didn't take them long to arrive at the tower, and Naruto walked in first and grunted.

"Yo, old monkey." The man gave him a tired look after glancing over Hinata and Iruka.

"I see you're still as much of a prankster as ever. You wasted no time in abusing the Kage-Bunshin no Justu." Naruto laughed a little.

"The look on the face of the chuunin that burst in to rat me out was priceless. But that's not why I'm here. I want your privacy seals up." The Hokage raised an eyebrow.

"And them?" He asked, indicating the teacher and Hyuuga.

"They've made a very good first step at gaining my trust. I'm going to let them in on a few things and see how they react to it," The boy grunted. The Hokage nodded and activated his seals. The boy turned to the two standing there.

"Hyuuga, first question is yours to ask."

"Is Naruto alright?" She asked immediately. The boy sighed slightly.

"Physically, he is in perfect condition, thanks to me. Emotionally, he is utterly traumatized. He's basically in a terror-induced coma at the moment. I'm running things for him until he gets better. Next, Iruka."

"How did he get into that condition?" Iruka asked quietly.

"He was attacked and nearly killed by a vicious gang of civilians. I was the only one close enough to help, and if I hadn't intervened he would likely have died,"

"That's rich coming from the real reason they all hate him!" Hinata snapped. The boy raised an eyebrow.

"Come again?" Hinata levelled likely the fiercest glare she'd ever worn at him.

"If it weren't for you, _Kyuubi no Kitsune,_ Naruto would have grown up in a loving family, knowing his parents, and all the hate and pain you left behind wouldn't exist!" She snapped. Iruka and the Hokaga gaped at her, while Kyuubi simply smirked.

"You've had your eye on him for quite some time haven't you? As you said in the academy, only a Hyuuga can see the seal normally, and even though your father discouraged it, you still went and figured out what it meant. Impressive, really. But let me get one thing straight with you Hyuuga. On that night I was not acting of my own free will. I was instead caught in a genjutsu and forced to attack the village and kill those people. Genjustsu is my one real weakness, especially when cast by an Uchiha. Especially cast by that Uchiha." Kyuubi said, ending darkly. The Hokage blinked at him.

"You never mentioned this before."

"I was busy dealing with a traumatized kid. Leave me a memo and I'll get back to you on it when I freaking have time," Kyuubi snapped. "I gotta get this kid in shape so he can become a genin. Even though I have all the chakra he could ever need, his body needs a bit of work. Any more questions?" The three humans looked at each other before Iruka cleared his throat.

"Just this. Thank you for saving Naruto's life," He said quietly. The fox regarded him for a moment.

"Hmm. You're doing a good job of earning more of my trust. Keep it up. Hinata looked at him.

"If there's anything I can do to help Naruto. Anything at all, tell me please." Kyuubi smirked.

"You can be our friend. Are you willing to accept that?"

"Absolutely," She replied firmly. The boy nodded and grinned.

"Then why don't we go and train together?" The girl gave him a slightly amused look.

"Just don't kill me by accident, fox."

"…The name's Kurama," The nine-tailed demon replied quietly as the Hokage released the privacy seals and the two students left to head to one of the training fields.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N Dear God. I never expected people to actually like this. Well, here's chapter three. Thanks for all the awesome reviews!**

 **Ryuujin96: I have plans for Naruto himself, ability-wise. You'll see what I mean during the Wave Country Arc, and beyond.**

 **Kat: Thanks! I'm trying to make this fun.**

 **Rose Tiger: Yessir!**

 **Drazili: Awesome! Thank you so much!**

 **Pervyysage: Yeah, I know. This chapter is a bit longer, and starting chapter four I'll try and make them a lot longer. Keep in mind though that longer chapters take more time to write.**

 **S. R. 457: :D Thanks!**

 **Radon088: Yes, Hinata is in fact different in personality in my story than she is in canon. So are Naruto and Kurama. That's mostly because I'm writing my own story, not just re-writing the canon plot. I'm writing the characters as how I feel they should be written. I respect your comments and I certainly understand where you're coming from, but I don't think Hinata is going to return to being unnaturally timid and fainting every time she comes face-to-face with Naruto.**

As Kurama and Hinata walked toward the training grounds, the Hyuuga looked at the fox in a boy's form.

"So what is this 'Kage Bunshin no Jutsu the Hokage was talking about?"

"It's my substitute for the normal clone technique. I can't ever use that one because my chakra reservoir is so large it's physically impossible for me to manipulate it in small enough increments to make use of mere illusionary images of myself. The Shadow Clone technique requires far more chakra, and it creates a solid clone that can move and act independently. Observe:" He pointed ahead as they arrived and Hinata blinked as she watched four copies of Naruto attempting to walk up trees with only their feet.

"I told five of 'em to go out here and train during the day, but apparently one of them decided to go prank Hokage Monument and then disperse. I felt its experiences rejoin with mine mere seconds before that chuunin burst in," Kyuubi replied in amusement.

"So you like pranks just as much as Naruto eh?" Hinata replied with a giggle. Kyuubi chuckled.

"Yeah, it's good stuff. Shukaku used to get so mad at me. That's because she has no sense of humor."

"Who's Shukaku?"

"A one-tailed tanuki. One of my eight siblings."

"There are more like you?"

"Yeah, though I'm the strongest and most famous. The rest all have differing numbers of tails from one to eight, though they've all probably been captured and imprisoned within humans like I was," Kurama replied bitterly.

"Perhaps someday an arrangement could be made where you could be free, but we wouldn't be in danger because of it," Hinata suggested thoughtfully.

"Hmph. Don't count on it. Anyway, we have training to do, yes? I've gotta beat some actual taijutsu into this boy's muscles. His current technique is to thrash around and hope he lands a hit. If you didn't have it so bad for him you'd easily trash him in a spar," Kurama replied with a chuckle. Hinata blushed faintly.

"Naruto…can't hear what you're saying can he?"

"Depends on if he's paying attention or still putting his head back together. Such a comment would likely sail over his head anyway. He's denser than a freaking rock."

Hinata chose that moment to surprise jab at Kurama, who swiftly ducked and lashed out with a kick at her side which she blocked with one hand encased in chakra, causing the fox to yip in more surprise than pain and skip backwards.

"Oh, I see. Your hands are infused with chakra and combined with the pinpoint accuracy your eyes seem to afford you…that technique could easily cripple or kill any human if you land it," He said thoughtfully, as his clones spread out around her. Hinata grinned challengingly.

"Any human…but you?"

"You'd need to be much stronger to permanently affect a being made of pure condensed chakra," the Kyuubi boasted. Hinata thought on that.

"What about Naruto's body?"

"I can fix anything you're capable of doing to it. All the same, I'll simply be using clones to fight. I'm not sure if Naruto can handle being in an actual fight yet. He might panic and distract me." Hinata nodded assent and the clones rushed her. She started taking them out with full-power gentle-fist blows, and Kurama kept making more.

"So tomorrow is the final exam, right?" He said thoughtfully.

"That's right. We'll be tested on our knowledge, in a written test, our techniques with kunai and shuriken throwing, and our ninjustu, which are the Kawimari, the Henge, and the Bunshin, or in your case the Kage-bunshin. Kurama nodded thoughtfully before quickly testing out a Henge in which he transformed into Hinata, and a Kawimari as he switched with a nearby fallen stick. Soon enough they'd had enough of practicing and Hinata sat down to catch her breath while Kurama dissolved his clones.

"Hey Kurama, what do you look like in your normal form?" Hinata asked curiously as she stared at the clouds. Kurama snorted.

"I'm a nine-tailed demon fox. It's self-explanatory. Also, just because I told you my name doesn't mean I want you using it all the time, especially around others. The only reason I told you is because you earned enough of my trust, but no one else has that right," He grumbled.

"Okay, your title tells me what you are, but it doesn't describe you at all. You can use a henge, why not henge and show me?" Hinata insisted. Kurama gave her a blank stare.

"You do realize that we're in the middle of a town that almost the entire population hates me, fears me, either or both, or thinks I'm dead, Me suddenly appearing on a training ground would not go over well. Furthermore, I can't summon enough chakra to transform into something that large without damaging Naruto at the same time."

"Can't you do the form, but scaled down in size so that no one except me will see?"

"Yeah, sure, I'll do that and then I'll bite you for being so pushy about it. I'm not going to turn into my form in such a small, weak state. It's demeaning."

"Or maybe you just need to get off your high horse and quit being so prideful," Hinata returned. Kurama growled at her.

"Fine, just shut up about it and I'll show you at Naruto's place. Not in public," He snarled. HInata giggled.

"Okay, works for me!"

" _How the hell is she so good at getting her way? I gotta be more careful of that in the future,"_ The Kyuubi growled to himself as he led the way to Naruto's shabby abode. Hinata took one look at the place and her eyes narrowed.

"The Hokage had Naruto living here?"

"It's the only place that was available that no one else owned. Any other place he'd get kicked out of as soon as the Hokage turned his back. It's not all that bad. It'll make for a decent den, and it does get clean water…most of the time," Kurama replied with a shrug as he led her inside. She raised an eyebrow as she glanced around.

"It looks…surprisingly uncluttered." Kurama chuckled. "Eh, that's as of this morning. I moved some stuff around to make it seem cleaner." The Hyuuga nodded before grinning at her partner.

"Well, let me see what you really look like!" Kurama rolled his eyes.

"I have a feeling I'm going to regret this…" He quickly performed a henge, transforming into a large dog-sized fox with nine flowy tails. Hinata practically had stars in her eyes as she reached out to pet one of his tails, but a snarl from the owner stopped her.

"Touch me, and I'll bite you. Hard. Touching a fox's tail is an intimate action and we're not nearly that close to each other, having only become friends today." Hinata pouted.

"But they look so soft and fluffy! It's a girl's natural instinct to want to touch soft fluffy fur!"

"That's cause I take care of 'em, but seriously. Hands off for now." He released the henge reverting to Naruto's form. Hinata sighed slightly.

"Alright fine, if you feel that strongly about it. What are you doing for dinner?"

"I spotted a forest training ground that looks like it has a lot of wildlife. I'll try hunting in there," Kurama replied with a yawn. Hinata blinked.

"Don't you want to eat real food?"

"Nah, I want to hunt. At least for tonight. I haven't hunted in so long I'm itching to go out and run, stalk, and kill," Kurama replied softly, eyes glinting as the setting sun reflected off them. Hinata nodded.

"Alright. I'll go have supper with my family, and then I'll come back here and wait for you," She said. Kurama nodded.

"Sounds like a plan to me. So long." He turned and leaped with feline grace out of the window, swinging up onto the roof, and loping across the town until he came to a fenced off area marked "Training Ground 44, The Forest of Death. He hunched at one of the gates slightly, before looking up with gleaming ruby irises and he leaped before climbing over the fence and dropping into the trees on the other side. Almost immediately, his heightened sense of smell picked up a myriad of different scents, belonging to creatures of every shape and size, many of them large, others dangerous, and quite a few were both large and dangerous. Kurama locked onto the scent of a strong leopard and followed it deeper into the forest. Soon he came upon the other predator as he was resting. Kurama let a furious growl rip from his throat, a call of challenge. 'Let us see who is the better predator between the two of us.' The leopard gets up, seeming almost amused at this puny character who dares to challenge him in his own home. At least he'll get a light snack out of the deal. The two beasts square off, one growling in challenge, the other rumbling back at him as if humoring him. Respecting the final wish of a soon to be dead foe. All at once, there is a flash of red as the challenger attacks. Caught off guard by the speed, the leopard is raked across the face with an outstretched clawed hand, leaving some immediately painful scratches. The Leopard roars in anger, no longer treating it as a game, and surges to the attack, but his foe is wily and slips under him to claw at his belly before slipping away like a stream of smoke to land on his back. The Leopard bucks and tries to throw him off, but the fox digs in with his claws and, opening jaws wide to display sharpened incisors, plunges his teeth into the throat of the Leopard before tearing ferociously, ripping out the jugular and ensuring his victory. As his foe trembles into the stillness of death, Kurama, euphoric from his victory, sends a primal roar to the sky before beginning to feast on the raw flesh of his foe. A low whistle from a nearby branch interrupted him, causing him to bristle.

"Damn son, that's the first time I've seen a twelve-year-old lookin' kid go up against a fully grown leopard and win. Are you even human?"

" _Shit, I got so caught up in my fight I didn't notice her approach. She smells and looks right at home in here. She's probably quite familiar with this territory."_ He debated on an answer before shrugging slightly and returning to his meal.

"My body is human. My mind? Well...that's a complicated question. What matters though is that I'm a predator to be wary of, and now this place knows it," He grunted between bites. The woman hopped down from the branch and walked over to him.

"That we do kiddo. My name's Anko Mitarashi. I'm the alpha of this place." Kurama paused and turned to assess her.

" _A human acknowledged as the master of this forest. There is far more to her than meets the eye."_

"My name? Well, you can call me Fox." Anko chuckled.

"Well Foxy, if you want to stake out a territory in this here forest, then fine by me. Win your place and it's yours. Anything you can take from here is yours, unless you don't defend it adequately and it's taken from you." The fox glanced at her again.

"You smell very strongly of snake. I didn't know the hebi were that much into social structures, I thought they preferred to mind their own business." The woman considered him.

"Unlike you, I don't impersonate the animals I identify with. I merely use them as weapons," She replied, a small black snake curling from her sleep and up to sit on her shoulders. Kurama, finishing his meal, stood up.

"Perhaps we shall fight one day," He noted.

"If you wish to challenge me for the spot of Alpha, then yes we will fight someday. Until then…watch your back. I kinda like a spunky kid like you, and you ain't met some of the larger fellas that live in here yet."

"If I feel the urge to hunt again, I will return," Kurama replied quietly.

"Yeah. There's a river not far to the east of here where you can wash off if you'd like," Anko called after him. He waved back and soon found the stream where he thoroughly cleaned himself before redressing and heading back out of the training ground. Soon enough he was returning to Naruto's home, where Hinata was waiting.

"Had fun?" She asked curiously. Kurama nodded and yawned.

"Yeah, I had a good fight. I'm tired from all that so I think I'm going to hit the sack." The Hyuuga nodded.

"Ah, alrighty then. Shall I see you tomorrow?"

"Yeah, I save you a spot in the classroom," Kurama replied, heading toward the bedroom. Hinata was just about to let herself out when she heard her name spoken in the barest breath of a whisper. It was so quiet that had there been any noise at all she would've missed it. She turned around to see Kurama standing in the doorway to the bedroom shaking like a leaf, holding onto the handle for support. She blinked at him before getting worried.

"Kurama? Is something wrong?" Kurama slowly turned to look at her, and his face was an expression of pure fear, his eyes were screwed closed but ever so slowly one of them opened barely revealing a flash of sapphire.

"H-h-hin-nat-ta-ch-ch-cha-a-n…" A whisper dripping terror escaped the slightly panting lips Hinata's eyes widened.

"Naruto-kun?" She replied back in an equally quiet whisper. The boy flinched slightly and screwed his eyes shut again.

"W-w-would y-y-you s-s-st-stay wh-w-with m-m-me a-a-and K-k-kur-ram-m-ma….p-p-pleas-s-se?" he gritted out. Hinata blinked before putting on the warmest smile she could muster.

"Of course I can. I'll stay as long as you want," She promised. Naruto's trembling stilled for a moment before he opened his eyes again, gratitude reflecting in the bright blue gems before they flashed back to red, and the pupils once again became slits. Kurama glanced at Hinata seeming somewhat subdued.

"There's only one bed. You can share with us unless you'd rather not." Hinata shook her head.

"That's fine. I want to be where I can hold Naruto, where I can physically reassure him with a touch that isn't violent," She replied firmly. Kurama nodded and gestured for her to follow him into the bedroom where he stripped to his t-shirt and boxers while Hinata took off her jacket and shoes and set them aside, having a t-shirt underneath and her pants she deemed acceptable to sleep in. They were designed for ninja after that that many times had to camp out. After that the two curled up around each other. Kurama seemed to drift into a doze immediately, though every so often Naruto's body would let out a shiver of unconscious fear. Hinata draped one arm over him and nestled into his back which seemed to calm him slightly and soon enough she was off to dreamland as well.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N Here's number four! This one's a lot longer than the previous ones. Let me know if you think it's a good length or if I should make them even longer.**

 **Rose Tiger: Yep yep! Working hard on Chapter 5 as soon as I post this.**

 **Illuminated: That's part of the fun of it. There will be quite a few instances like that in the chapters ahead.**

 **Ryuujin96: lol, I didn't know I was participating in a challenge. The teams are decided in chapter 5. No hints though!**

 **Kat: I'm so happy you liked it! I hope you like this one.**

 **Pervyysage: 'Cause you wouldn't be pervysage if you didn't XD. I think you might like some of Kurama's jokes in this chapter. Just to be clear though, I'm not writing a lemon.**

Hinata awakened slowly as she basked in the feeling of the warm body next to her. She remembered last night without any prompting and soon opened her eyes to find that Naruto had rolled over during the night and was facing her, their foreheads practically touching. Hinata had to restrain herself from having a giggle fit at how cute he looked in his sleep. She was thinking about trying to extricate herself and looking to see if there was anything available to cook breakfast with, but as if reacting to the thought, Naruto's body shivered and he hugged her tighter before his eyes slowly slid open, revealing his sapphire gems that seemed less afraid than they had the night before. His mouth twitched in an attempt of a smile before the blue bled to red and Kurama smirked.

"Getting ideas Hyuuga? Naughty Naughty." Hinata flushed, and sat upright.

"Way to ruin the moment you old sack of fur. And for the record I wasn't thinking anything improper at all. Do you have anything to eat in this den of yours or do I need to drag you to my place to get something decent?"

"Decent as in edible?" Kurama asked, trying to think to see what Naruto had. Hinata groaned and slapped her hand to her face

"Forget it. Get dressed, I'm taking you to my place. As long as you don't be a smartass in front of my dad.

"Don't get your undies in a twist," Kurama quipped, beginning to pull on his day clothes Hinata gave him a flat look.

"Don't tell me the great and powerful Kyuubi no Kitsune is just an old pervert."

"No, I'm simply not a stupid as your blissfully naïve crush, and I'm using the fact that you want to get into the pants of the body that I'm currently using to have fun at your expense." He paused, and burst out laughing.

"Naruto says you can borrow any of his pants that you want, though you may need a belt," He choked out before subsiding into gales of laughter again. Hinata just groaned, both at the fox, and at Naruto's misinterpretation of what said fox had meant.

"Whatever, get dressed and put a serious face on. My dad isn't anyone to trifle with. Kurama just lapsed into chuckles as he finished getting dressed. Hinata took the lead as they left his apartment and soon enough they reached the Hyuuga complex. The door guards started as Hinata and Kurama wandered over.

"Hinata-sama, your father was worried when you didn't return home last night," One said. Hinata sighed slightly.

"Please send word ahead that I was required to spend the night at a friend's house, and that I will be bringing a guest to breakfast," She said. One of the guards nodded and flickered away to report to the clan head. Hinata merely led Kurama into the gate where he glanced around in seeming disinterest while the pair walked through the complex. Soon enough they had arrived at Hinata's home. Hinata led him to her father's room and turned to Kurama.

"Wait here, I'll greet my father, then introduce you. After he dismisses me, we'll head to the dining hall," She said quietly. Kurama nodded and she turned and knocked on the door.

"Father, I have returned. I invited a guest over to breakfast this morning, and he is with me," She called respectfully.

"You and your guest may enter Hinata-chan," A male voice responded. Hinata slid open the door and beckoned for Kurama to follow as she entered and bowed toward her father. Kurama hesitantly did the same.

"Father, this is my friend, Naruto Uzumaki. I was detained at his residence last night in order to assist in recovering from an incident the other day. While there I discovered that his food supplies were not adequate and offered to allow him to eat with us, and it is my intention to extend this offer to whenever necessary to ensure he obtains proper nutrition," she explained. The Hyuuga head gave him a brief look over before returning his gaze to his daughter.

"He is lucky to have such a devoted friend as you. You may go to the dining hall, though in the future, I wish to know if possible if and when you have plans to stay the night at a friend's house," He said thoughtfully. Hinata bowed.

"Thank you Father, I will do my best to let you know." She turned to Kurama and beckoned him to follow her to the dining hall where they met her little sister and an older teen boy.

"Naruto, this is my sister Hanabi, and my cousin Neji. Sister, cousin, Naruto will be dining with us this morning, and likely many more times in the future," Hinata introduced. Kurama inclined his head at the two others. Neji merely glanced up briefly before returning to his meal while Hanabi smiled slightly and waved at him. Hinata loaded Naruto's plate with a round helping containing all the nutrients he would need.

"There, this should do it. You eat something similar to this in similar portions for all your meals, your body will buck up and you'll feel better for it," She said, handing it to him. Kurama nodded and began to eat while Hinata began her own meal. Hinata gave him a brief slightly puzzled look at his quietness but didn't comment soon enough they were fed and on their way to the academy. Almost as soon as they had passed through the gates back into the main of Konoha, Kyuubi let out a large exhalation of air.

"Well, now that's over with," He said cheerfully. Hinata gave him a strange look.

"What was with being so quiet the whole time? I said not to be a smart ass, but I never said you couldn't talk at all." Kurama chuckled.

"Well you see Hinata-chan, if I had indeed opened my mouth on that premises, nothing but pure sass and sarcasm would have emerged from within. Rather than have you get in trouble on my behalf, I spent the time trying to copy the blank stare your father has perfected. Though maybe tell your cousin his needs a bit of work. His annoyance was fairly obvious." Kurama explained with a cheerful smirk. Hinata sighed but seemed amused.

"I think you may need pupil-less lavender eyes to pull off that look's final form, but you weren't bad for an outsider." Kurama chuckled.

"Does your father gamble? I should challenge him to a poker match; see who has the best pokerface. Actually never mind, that wouldn't be a fair measure as part of my power makes me and Naruto stupid lucky in any sort of gambling situation." Hinata raised her eyebrows.

"Really? How come you two aren't rich by now then?"

"The Hokage was very careful to have Naruto steer clear of any sort of gambling growing up, and the kid never knew I existed until two nights ago. That monkey knew that unpleasant things were likely to happen if Naruto went to gamble against people looking to cheat him out of whatever money he had, and ends up winning nine times in a row. It wouldn't be safe until we find a place far away where Naruto has never been heard of," Kurama explained. Hinata nodded thoughtfully.

"That does indeed make sense. Well as a ninja, you'll have missions out-of-town that should afford you opportunities once you have accomplished your objective and have time to spare before you must return," She commented cheerfully. Kurama chuckled.

"Great. First we have to graduate however." By that time they had arrived at school, and they took the same two seats they had yesterday. Iruka glanced up and gave Kurama a strange look.

"Alright, this has been driving me crazy since yesterday. Did you intentionally choose that seat for its tactical advantage, or is it mere coincidence that you like that one?" Kurama seemed amused.

"I chose it intentionally. It's a nice spot. You think Duck-ass will sit next to me again since he's seen how epic I am at fending off rabid fangirls?"

"Most likely. Why do you call him duck-ass though?" Hinata asked curiously.

"Cause of the shape the back of his head makes. His hair is the rear-end of a freaking duck. It's ridiculous, and yet apparently every girl except you wants to bear his children. I don't get it at all," Kurama complained.

"It's because he plays hard-to-get and because his traumatic past triggers their undeveloped maternal instincts," Hinata explained. Kurama raised his eyebrows.

"Right. Note to self: to easily capture a member of the new generation of kunoichi, -I use the term rather loosely- Treat them like scum and spread rumors that I'm just a poor undeserving orphan. This is so stupid I'm just gonna stop here," He said with utter blandness.

"Watch out Naruto, your sarcasm is making a puddle on the floor," Hinata commented with a giggle.

"I just wish they were here listening to this. Iruka-sensei can I go grab Sakura Haruno and pin her to the ceiling again? Please?" Kurama returned. Iruka shook his head.

"No Naruto, stay here. Only resort to self-defense if she tries to hit you." Hinata just laughed.

"Wow, who would have thought you'd have been reduced to begging?" She teased. Kurama gave her an affronted look.

"I did not beg, I implored intensely. And I'm over it now. When is this stupid test going to start?"

"When the rest of the class arrives. Be patient," Iruka and Hinata said at the same time. Kurama checked his watch.

"I bet I could get them all here within five minutes." Hinata rolled her eyes.

"I'm not taking that bet. I know you'd win. Let's not run the risk of dragging our fellow students out of showers or other embarrassing situations, alright? Let's play a game instead."

"A game? Like what?" Kurama asked curiously.

"Tag ninja style," Hinata replied simply, poking him in the shoulder, and then vanishing. Kurama blinked while Iruka chuckled.

"Looks like she got the head start on you. Kurama shrugged and grinned.

"Well, I've got advantage of numbers. Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" And with that ten Narutos dashed out to search for their friend, while one stayed behind to guard the seats.

It took Kurama a half-hour to find and tag Hinata, at which point he scattered a new group of clones to try and confuse where he was, but unfortunately for him she was paying too close attention so it became a matter of how long could he continue to dodge. After another half-hour she got him, and they returned to a mostly full classroom. As predicted, Uchiha Sasuke was sitting in the aisle seat of that row. Kurama hopped into his seat with a grin.

"Hey Uchiha, you got any preferences for team members?"

"No. To me you're all the same: dead weight," He replied disinterestedly. Kurama chuckled.

"Yeah, sure, whatever you say Duck-Ass," The Uchiha glared at him.

"Don't call me that."

"I'll call you what I want whenever I want. If you don't like it, change your hair so it no longer resembles the posterior of a waterfowl," Kurama replied with a broad grin. Hinata rolled her eyes at him.

"Did someone give you catnip when I wasn't looking? Your energy levels seem excessive." Kurama snorted.

"Catnip? Really Hinata? Look, even if I did smoke something I wouldn't get any effect from it. My body heals too damn fast," He replied. Hinata giggled.

"Well settle down. You're acting hyper." Kurama lapsed into thoughtful silence until students began getting called for the test. Hinata's turn came and she entered the room confidently, and soon was back again with a new forehead protector. She sat back next to Naruto to wait for his turn. Kurama glanced at her.

"Well this should be interesting to say the least." Hinata blinked.

"Something wrong? Your energy from earlier just vanished like it was doused in ice water."

"Nah, don't worry about it. I'll handle it," Kurama replied as his name was called. He walked into the room and immediately glared at the pale-haired proctor.

"Him. Get him out of here," He said sharply. The proctor adopted a look of polite puzzlement.

"Naruto, he's one of the proctors of the test…" Iruka began, but the blonde cut him off.

"He reeks of anger and evil intentions. He is someone I distrust. I will not complete the test with him in the room," Kurama said firmly, eyes seeming to glow briefly as they glared at Mizuki. Man raised his hands in a peace-making gesure.

"Now now Naruto-kun, I was hoping to be here to watch your big moment. Have I done anything to offend you?" He replied politely. The blonde merely looked at Iruka who sighed.

"Mizuki, if you wouldn't mind going to make sure the rest of the class isn't destroying my classroom please…" A look of anger briefly crossed Mizuki's features but he nodded politely and went off to check on the classroom. Naruto locked the door behind him and stared at Iruka.

"One of my powers is to sense negative emotional energy. That man hates Naruto because of me and will attempt something to do with us that is likely to not end pleasantly," He said quietly. Iruka blinked but nodded.

"Alright. I'll let the Hokage know and we'll put a watch on him. Kurama nodded and took a deep breath.

"Now…for this test…" He closed his eyes and his entire body went rigid and tense instantly. He slowly opened his eyes to reveal their natural blue irises. He looked fearfully at Iruka-sensei, whose heart broke a little to see such a look on what used to be such a bright and positive face. But he understood what was going on here: Naruto wanted to do this one thing for himself: He shakily put his fingers in a cross sign and whispered: "Kage Bunshin no Justsu!" There were three poofs of smoke as clones of Naruto appeared standing next to their creator. They all glanced at each other, and something akin to victory passes between their eyes before the blue went away once again and Kurama took charge.

"So, theres that. Need I bother with the other two or can we just accept that if we can perform a powerful kinjutsu, we can probably do a Kawimari and a henge?" The Fox replied blandly. Iruka smiled sadly.

"No need. Tell Naruto I was glad to see him and I hope he feels better soon. Take a forehead protector from the table and you may go." Kurama nodded and grabbed one with a black band before going out to join Hinata, and they both left through the window, travelling silently to the training ground where Kurama created some clones to do some training before he threw himself back on the grass and stared at the sky. Hinata sat next to him.

"So what's on your mind?"

"Naruto came out during the test to perform the Kage Bunshin personally. I spent much of last night convincing him to do it himself. It's going to be some time before he recovers emotionally," Kurama commented lowly. Hinata sighed and nodded.

"We'll do it slowly, with baby steps. At some point, he'll remember that life is fun, and not all of it is something to fear," Kurama yawned.

"So how do you think the teams will work out?" He asked. Hinata thought about it.

"Well, I'm pretty sure they'll put Ino, Shikamaru, and Chouji together, their fathers were on the same team and were legendary. Left is three trackers, Me, Kiba, and Shino, and you and Uchiha-san are both powerhouses, which leaves Sakura. I think she has potential to be a med-nin and Genjutsu specialist. So they may want the three trackers to make one elite tracking team, which leaves you with Sakura-san and Sasuke-kun," She laid out. Kurama made a face.

"Me on the same team as a fangirling Sakura and Emo ? That would suck. I want to be on your team." Hinata laughed.

"I love you too foxy. But unless you can out-nose Kiba, I don't think you'd fit on a tracking team. You'd be better of hitting things and hitting them hard."

"Unless I can out-nose dogboy? That sounds like a challenge to me," Kurama replied with a smirk.

"Kurama, Naruto doesn't have the same sensitive nose you do. If you challenge Kiba to a tracking contest based on scent, you'll cause people to start asking questions," Hinata reminded him. Kurama grumbled a bit.

"Alright fine. I'll figure out some other rationale for being on your team." He said. Hinata giggled and checked the time.

"It's after lunchtime. You want to go get some Ramen? Naruto loves this one stand," She said happily. Kurama snorted.

"I know Naruto likes Ichirakus. I've been with the kid his whole life y'know. Sure, sounds like fun. Maybe he might talk with Teuchi and Ayame…eventually."

The pair headed off to the ramen stand, soon arriving and sitting on the bar stools. Teuchi looked up and grinned widely.

"Naruto! I'm glad to see you. I heard you got caught up in some trouble the other night. How are you doing?" Kurama glanced at Hinata before looking back at the older man. His eyes flickered to blue for a second before returning to red.

"I'm…alright I suppose. Things are a bit of a mess right now but Hinata-chan is helping me get back on my feet," He said quietly. The man nodded.

"I see. Well I bet a free bowl of ramen for you and your friend will help," He said cheerfully. Kurama bowed his head slightly.

"Thank you Ojii-san." Hinata did likewise and the two placed their orders. Hinata glanced sideways at Kurama.

"No luck?"

"Still working on it. The problem is the people on the other side of the cloth. It's too public," Kurama muttered back. Hinata seemed a little disappointed.

"I see. Well it'll happen in time." The two soon finished their lunch and walked out into the street. Hinata glanced at Kurama.

"So what do you want to do now?" Kurama looked at the sky.

"Should we go tell the Monkey that we passed the exam?"

"Sure, but why do you call him a monkey?"

"Cause he smells like one and he can summon 'em," The fox replied with a yawn. Hinata raised an eyebrow.

"Do you often name people based on their smells?"

"Yeah, well it's not often a human takes the time to introduce himself to me before either attacking or running," Kurama pointed out. Hinata nodded thoughtfully.

"Good point." The two made their way to the Hokage Tower, opting to enter from the window rather than the door.

"Yo, old man," Kurama greeted as he slid the window open and hopped inside. Hinata followed him inside and bowed.

"Greetings Hokage-sama."

"Hello Kurama and Hinata. How did the test go? Kurama growled.

"I never said you could use my name. That's for Hinata only." The Hokage sighed slightly but nodded.

"Very well then, Kyuubi. How did the test go?"

"We aced it of course. I suppose I should thank you for the Kage Bunshin, though if I were you I'd watch out for Mizuki. The guy's a traitor just biding his time," Kurama replied boredly. The Hokage raised an eyebrow.

"How do you know this?"

"Cause I can feel evil intentions and dark feelings from people around me. He's so full of it it's coming out his ears."

"I see. I'll be on the lookout then. Anything else?"

"Yeah, I want to know what team we're getting put on."

"I don't know yet. Iruka and I have a meeting later tonight where we'll sort it out. You'll find out tomorrow during your last class at the Academy."

"Urgh. Fine…" He paused before adopting an annoyed look.

"Looks like some dip just busted up my clones for no reason at all. Well I'll just make more and send them somewhere else."

"What are you having your clones doing?" The Hokage asked.

"Working on Chakra control. I like working on Taijustu with Hinata though; it's effective to teach my muscles the best way to avoid hits because any hit could be trouble. Though once we're in a team I'll spar with the others as well to diversify my techniques."

"I see. Well it sounds like you're doing well," The Hokage replied thoughtfully before hesitating.

"Have you heard anything from Naruto?"

"He drifts in and out of contact with our senses. He's still pretty terrified but it's slowly calming down. He's been dreaming of defensive uses for the Kage Bunshin, so I think he likes it."

The Hokage nodded. "If there's anything else I can do or teach you, let me know." The fox yawned.

"We'll see what's needed after we get into a team. Well, I think I'm gonna head home for now. Hinata are you coming?"

"Yes, but if I'm to stay the night again we'll have to stop by the Hyuuga compound and leave a message for my father. We should also buy you some decent food."

"Ain't got money for anything that ain't cheap, and people don't let me in their stores," The fox reminded her.

"The Hyuuga clan is plenty rich enough to pay for a few groceries. Go on home and I'll buy some stuff for you and meet you there," Hinata replied. The fox shrugged.

"Suit yourself then. See you in a bit." The two went their separate ways and Kurama began walking home. He soon noticed he was being followed by a small group of people. He raised an eyebrow before turning into an alleyway for discretion.

The group followed him and spread to block the mouth of the alley. The fox merely gave them a bored look.

"What do you people want?"

"We've come to end you once and for all, demon!" One spat. Kurama smirked.

"Oh really now? You do see this forehead protector, right? It's against the law to assault a ninja. But if you really want a piece of me, that'll be the least of your worries. I'm not holding back anymore. Your abuse has gone too far at last. So unless you want to see just how much of a demon I really am, I suggest you get lost."

"Demon Brat!" One of them screeched, raising an arm to throw a brick. He didn't get the chance as a small stone smacked him in the middle of the forehead from somewhere above and behind Naruto. In an instant, the other three were paralyzed as two had thick pythons slithered up their bodies and immobilized them, and the other was held in place by a kunai at the neck and a soft, sickeningly sweet voice at his ear.

"Well, well, well, what do we have here? Threating this Genin of Konoha are we? It would be a shame if I had to take you all into T&I tonight. Wouldn't that be fun?" The woman whispered. The men gulped.

"N-no, of course not…please forgive us!" One squeaked. The woman chuckled and licked the man she was holding on the ear before she and her snakes released them.

"Get lost dipsticks. Tell everyone that fox season is over." The three men quickly grabbed their knocked-out buddy and ran away. Kurama was standing back watching this looking bored with his hands in his pockets.

"You ruined my fun, Anko."

"Save it foxy. Killing anyone who pisses you off is what a monster does. A predator only kills when he has to. Those men didn't need to die; they just needed to be scared away. Always intimidate first, you'll get through life with less blood on your claws that way," Anko replied with a shrug. Kurama glanced at the mouth of the ally.

"Intimidation isn't exactly what N…I wanted either though...I wanted love and respect.

"You've never had a chance to get that before, but now you're a ninja so you will have your chance. Just be patient, and don't rise to the bait. Rising to bait leads to being trapped. In the future, you let me deal with these guys. I work for Torture and Interrogation, and I have a legal excuse to arrest anyone who attacks a Konoha Ninja. You won't earn the fear yourself, but people will be scared away from harming you," Anko suggested. Kurama gave her a solid stare.

"Past experience tells me others can't be relied on to get there in time."

"Your past experience has no information on me," She said bluntly. Kurama considered her before shrugging.

"You have one chance. If you fail even once, then I'll consider you unreliable."

"Works for me kiddo." And with that, she vanished. The Kyuubi mulled over this occurrence before heading back to his house, where he met Hinata at the front door.

"What took you so long?" The girl asked walking inside after him and setting the groceries on the kitchen table.

"Ran into a bit of trouble, it sorted itself out," Kurama replied with a shrug, sitting on the shabby couch. Hinata immediately looked concerned.

"What sort of trouble?"

"Some civilians wanted a piece of me. Some chick from T&I scared them off before I could tear them to pieces. She offered to help keep them away from me in the future. It might actually work since they seem more scared of her than they are of me."

"Is Naruto alright?"

"He panicked for a moment but I told him I had it under control and he trusted me since he saw what I did to the last group that tried to hurt us, so it wasn't too bad of a setback," Kurama replied with a yawn.

"What kind of food did you get?"

I got some packets of ramen that had vegetables in them, some canned fruit, some dried beef and peanut butter and bread, and also some milk. A few treats for dessert but those are only if you eat the rest of your meal. I thought it was a decent selection of nutritional things that you might be able to afford on your own, and most of it is preservable so you won't have to worry about it spoiling."

"Sounds good to me. Shall we eat then and go to bed? I've been having Kage Bunshins train for most of the day and it does drain chakra."

"Alright, that works for me," Hinata replied. "You should shower first though, you haven't done that since yesterday morning at least." Fox nodded, seeming too preoccupied at the moment to make a dirty joke. After they had eaten, Kurama took a short shower while Hinata inspected the house. She figured it looked worse on the outside than it did on the inside, most likely because of the Hokage. When Kurama came out, Hinata looked at him and asked, very quietly, "Naruto-kun?"

The boy tensed, but slowly looked over to meet her lavender eyes with his own sapphire ones.

"Do you want me to stay here tonight again?" Hinata asked in a whisper. Naruto nodded slightly and opened his mouth.

"T-they won't attack me if you're here," He said quietly. Soon after that Kurama resumed control of the body.

"Fair point that. We didn't have problems all of yesterday or today until they caught us on our own," He commented thoughtfully. Hinata nodded.

"I see. That makes sense. I wonder if my father grows to like you he might be willing to put some pressure on people to leave you alone," She replied. The fox shrugged.

"That'll take a while. But let's save it for tomorrow, I'm beat."

The two laid down in Naruto's bed and the boy quickly dropped off to sleep. Hinata laid awake for a while longer, thinking of what might happen tomorrow. She hoped she would be put on Naruto's team, but she also wondered what he might do if it didn't work out that way. She hoped he would learn to trust whomever he got put with, and that his sensei could separate him from Kurama. As she drifted into slumber, her thoughts became dreams of Naruto laughing, grinning, and shouting with glee over something. It didn't matter what, it just mattered that he was not afraid.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N Here's Chapter 5. Sorry for so much lateness, my creativity ran off halfway through writing and I couldn't catch it. Reminds me of a badly behaved cat sometimes. Sheesh. Anyway, review responses!**

 **jhawk046: Thanks man. I just managed to finish up this chapter but I know some good stuff is coming that will be so much fun to write.**

 **RandomWriter21: Glad you like it!**

 **Illuminated: Kurama was slightly preoccupied at the moment which is why he made that comment to Iruka in a rather distracted manner. He can in fact do a henge (such as when he showed what he really looked like to Hinata) and he is also capable of a Kawimari as well.**

 **Anpu: The reason the first chapters came so fast is because I had written three of them completely before I decided to upload it. Now that I've caught up to the ones I'm working on it will be much slower unfortunately. I probably should've spaced out when I uploaded the first ones but I just got so excited when I saw how much people liked it that I couldn't help myself.**

 **Dragon Man 180: I've not even considered how I would write real romance yet, though I think HinataxNaruto is pretty much inevitable. Kurama isn't human so isn't really going to be involved with romance I don't think. Maybe. Just so you know, I'm definitely not writing anything that goes beyond T rating. As for your last comment, you will see in this chapter.**

 **Kat: Thanks. Anko has always amused me, and due to her past she can understand some of what Naruto has gone through. As to teams…wait for it…**

 **Guests 1 and 2: Thanks to you guys and all my reviewers I've finally captured my creativity and gotten it to sit still long enough to finish the chapter. Lets do this!**

As morning arrived, Hinata and Kurama woke up, and the Hyuuga once again saw the flash of azure in her friend's eyes before the fox took charge. They headed over to the Hyuuga compound for breakfast once again where Kurama's attempt to copy the blank stare of the family caused Neji to become silently annoyed and Hanabi to start giggling. Soon enough they were on their way back to the Academy for the last time. They went in via the window to find that Sasuke had sat in the same seat as the last two days. Kurama smirked as he sat beside the Uchiha, Hinata taking the seat on his other side.

"Hey Duck-ass, you counting on me to once again save you from rabid fangirls today?"

"You're easier to ignore," The broody orphan replied flatly. Kurama chuckled.

"Is that so? I must not have been trying hard enough."

"Oh leave him alone Naruto, He's got to savor these last few moments of silence, since it's fairly likely he'll be put on a team with one of the fangirls," Hinata commented impishly. Kurama nodded sagely.

"Ah yes, you're perfectly correct Hinata-chan. We must honor the last few moments this poor boy has of sanity. Uchiha Sasuke, we salute you and your sacrifice for the greater good of the rest of us," He said in a mock-formal tone. Sasuke just ignored him now but Hinata collapsed into giggles. Soon enough the rest of the class had arrived, no one attempting to force Naruto out of his seat. Iruka stood at the front of the room and began a speech about how proud he was of them and the responsibilities that are now theirs as Shinobi and Kunoichi. After he was finished, he looked around at them

"Alright, I will call your teams one by one, and after lunch your senseis will arrive to take you to begin your teams. Here we are: Teams one through six are still in circulation. Team Seven is Naruto Uzumaki, Uchiha Sasuke, and Sakura Haruno. Your sensei is Hatake Kakashi." Sakura looked like she was torn between being protesting being on a team with Naruto or happy for being on a team with Sasuke. Kurama's face became completely expressionless, but Hinata could see that he was not happy about this at all.

"Team Eight is Kiba Inuzuka, Shino Aburame, and Hinata Hyuuga. Your sensei is Kurenai Yuuhi. Team Nine is still in circulation, so Team Ten is Ino Yamanaka, Shikamaru Nara, and Choji Akimichi." Iruka looked up from his list to see that Naruto was merely staring forward stiffly. Iruka sighed slightly.

"That's all. You're dismissed for lunch." Naruto was on his feet in an instant with his fingers in a cross sign.

"Kage-Bunshin no Jutsu," He said emotionlessly. Several people gasped as a single clone poofed into existence beside him. Naruto turned and opened the window before darting out of it followed by Hinata who grimaced at his actions. The clone merely gave Iruka a flat look before heading out as well. While the original picked a secluded spot to eat with Hinata, The clone travelled away from the campus and when he got to the main part of town, took to the roofs with chakra assisted bounds and strides. He made his way to the Hokage Tower and entered via the window which he opened with slightly more force than necessary. The Hokage glanced up from where he was meeting some other shinobi.

"Excuse me for a moment please, something urgent has come up," He said to them, and they went into the hallway to wait.

"What is it Naruto?" The Hokage asked.

"If you put me on the currently planned Team Seven, all progress we have made will be lost," Kurama replied flatly, referring to getting Naruto to begin losing his fear. The Hokage looked uncomfortable.

"And what do you propose as a solution?"

"I would think there is obviously a far better choice: Switch Haruno with Hyuuga," Kurama replied with an edge of scorn. Hiruzen sighed and decided to take on a business-like manner, as he would when discussing proposals with Elder Shinobi.

"List the benefits that this move would have," He said seriously.

"First the benefits to me: I won't have to deal with someone who obviously hates and fears me. Next the benefits to Haruno: She will be away from the distraction that is Uchiha Sasuke, and she will have a competent Kunoichi as her team leader to provide a role model as to what being a Kunoichi requires and what sort of behaviors are appropriate for one. The benefit to Hyuuga is that she will be nearby the source of her mental fortitude and can continue to work on our progress. The benefit to Uchiha is that he will be free of certain stressors and has two teammates that take being a ninja seriously, which should do wonders for his disposition. The Benefit to our sensei: He'll have a team that is more cohesive and less of a headache. And the benefit to Konoha in general: They'll get a team that has greater teamwork instead of one that can't stand each other," Naruto listed off with a practiced air as if he'd given this matter a great deal of thought. The Hokage considered this.

"The rationale behind the current setup was to have teams that specialize. Team Seven was supposed to be an assault team, where Team Eight was to be a tracking team. To switch things up would also imply a certain amount of favoritism, as well."

"I think Naruto could stand to have a little favoritism in his life," Kurama interrupted. The Hokage nodded and smiled.

"I'm aware, however not all will agree with us on that point. Also, I can think of another benefit that you were not aware of: Yuuhi Kurenai is the foremost Genjutsu user in Konoha, and Sakura's potential as far as chakra is concerned is for control rather than sheer power, which puts her in the ideal position to learn something that is right up her alley from a master in the art. Now that you speak of it, the benefits of this move will more than offset the detriments, not to mention that it puts my mind at ease. Here, give me one moment." The Hokage took out a small scroll and quickly jotted down a message before sealing it.

"Give this to Iruka discreetly," He said, holding the scroll out to Kurama. The Fox nodded in satisfaction and took the scroll.

"Thanks old man. This already is putting me at ease," He said, before heading out the window. Hiruzen smiled and let the other ninja back in to continue where they had left off. The clone quickly made his way back to the school and entered the classroom while everyone was still out to lunch.

"Iruka-sensei, I brought a message from the Hokage," He said, holding the scroll out with a smirk. Iruka sighed and accepted it.

"Let me guess, you convinced him to make a switch in the teams."

"What makes you say that?" Kurama replied playfully.

"The fact that you were angry when you left and now you're quite happy," The teacher said, opening the scroll.

"Sakura to Team Eight and Hinata to Team Seven? That's not what I expected," He noted in slight surprise.

"What did you expect?"

"I expected you to want to switch with Kiba." Kurama shrugged.

"This move makes more sense, and a lot more people will benefit from it. I don't really mind Duck-Ass but I think he'll like not being on a team with a rabid fangirl."

"I see. Well you'd better go out and get your lunch, there's not much time left," Iruka replied with a smile. Kurama nodded.

"Yep, see you later." And with that he vanished. Iruka blinked.

" _Oh right, that was a shadow clone. I forgot he could do that."_

Meanwhile out in the schoolyard, Kurama grinned triumphantly. Hinata gave him a questioning look.

"What are you so happy about all of a sudden?"

"Who knows? It's such a nice day today isn't it?" the fox replied happily. The girl sighed.

"Suit yourself. How's Naruto doing?"

"He's doing much better than he was five minutes ago. Something must have happened to cause him to relax a bit," Kurama noted with a shrug. Hinata rolled her eyes but smiled.

"You obviously know the reason for it but aren't telling me. That's fine, as long as he's doing well."

It didn't take long for them to finish their meals and return to class. Once everyone was seated, Iruka cleared his throat.

"The Hokage sent me a note over lunch, and there has been a slight change regarding the teams. Team Seven has been changed to include Sasuke Uchiha, Naruto Uzumaki, and Hinata Hyuuga. Team Eight is now Shino Aburame, Kiba Inuzuka, and Sakura Haruno." Sakura opened her mouth to protest, but Naruto cut in quickly.

"And this is the part where Uchiha does a victory dance in his head!" He said loudly while Hinata just rolled her eyes but grinned happily. Sasuke gave Naruto a bored look.

"Shut it Dobe," Kurama just laughed.

"Aw Come on Duck-ass, this is the most perfect outcome you could have possibly have asked for. Out of all the aspiring Kunoichi in the room, the one on your team is the only one who doesn't stalk you and is actually serious about becoming strong. You're finally free from the annoyance of pathetic fangirls! Aren't you even a little happy?" He prodded.

"I'm ecstatic. Shut up and let Sensei talk," Uchiha replied flatly. Kurama blinked.

"Whoah, he actually admitted it. Is it Christmas?" Sasuke just gave him one more bored look before glancing at Sakura, who he was pleased to see looked devastated by his statement. He smirked underneath his laced hands and looked back at Iruka-sensei who cleared his throat.

"Alright then, Team Eight, your sensei is here." A young woman with long brown hair walked into the room.

"I'm Kurenai Yuuhi. Kiba, Shino, Sakura, follow me." She led them out of the room, the pinkette lagging slightly behind sadly. A black haired man entered afterward.

"I'm Asuma Sarutobi. Shikamaru, Ino, Choji, with me." Team Ten left. Several more teams went and soon Hinata, Kurama, and Sasuke were the only ones left. Iruka checked his watch.

"It looks like your sensei is running late. He should be here soon." However as time passed and their sensei didn't show up, Kurama went from happy to slightly irritated. Iruka had had to leave after an hour after wishing them good luck. It had been two hours since then. Kurama , now thoroughly ticked, growled slightly and got up from his seat before going over to the chalkboard and selecting an eraser. He picked some string out of his pocket and used it to fasten it to the classroom door so that if it was opened the eraser would drop on the head of whoever entered releasing a cloud of chalk dust. Sasuke gave him a flat look.

"You really think that will work on an elite jonin?" Kurama shrugged.

"If it does then he's in for an incessant mocking. If not, I've got more sophisticated things to try."

It was at that moment that the door opened and a masked face with grey hair poked into the room before being impacted by the eraser and pausing. Kurama snorted loudly.

"Really? You got hit by something as simple as that? What kind of ninja are you?" Sasuke looked like he was silently agreeing. The man glanced down at the eraser, then back at them.

"My first impression…you're all annoying. Meet me on the roof in five." And he vanished with a sunshin. Hinata sighed.

"Way to go Kurama, you made our sensei mad."

"He can suck it up. Let's go see what he wants," Kurama replied indifferently. Soon enough they were gathered on the roof. The man regarded them.

"Well, let's start with some introductions hm?" He said thoughtfully.

"You first, Mask", Kurama retorted. The man raised a hand to his head.

"Me? Well my name is Hatake Kakashi. I like some things and dislike other things. My dream for the future is…to have lots of hobbies. I have lots of hobbies." Kurama snorted loudly.

"Fine then, I'll go next. My name is Naruto Uzumaki. I like trustworthy people. I dislike people who are untrustworthy. My hobbies include sarcasm and training. My dream is to kick your ass if you try to screw with me." Kakashi raised an eyebrow.

" _Not what I expected from that one. I wonder what he'll do if I screw with him in the final genin test?"_ He glanced at Hinata. "You next."

"My name is Hinata Hyuuga. I like Naruto-kun and dislike anyone who treats him badly. My hobbies are training and hanging out with Naruto-kun and my dream is to help him become loved by this village."

" _Alright, so she's decent enough. That likely explains why the switch happened."_ "Next, brooder."

"I'm Sasuke Uchiha. I like very few things and dislike many things. My hobby is training and by ambition is to avenge my clan."

"Duck-ass needs to get himself a girlfriend. A real one, not a whiny fangirl," Naruto stage-whispered. Kakashi had to restrain himself from chuckling as the Uchiha shot him a glare.

"Well, now that that's settled I want you three to meet me at Training Ground 7 tomorrow morning at six AM. Bring all your ninja gear and if I were you I wouldn't eat breakfast or you'll throw up," Kakashi said with a smile which could only be discerned from his eyes before vanishing. Sasuke left soon afterward. Kurama seemed unimpressed with Kakashi while Hinata was thoughtful.

"Was his promise of us vomiting a statement of the toughness of the test or a statement of our own weakness?"

"Who cares, I'm eating anyway. A full stomach will put me at top form," The fox replied boredly. "Want to practice for a few hours before dinner?"

"Sounds like a good plan to me, let's find this Training Ground 7, it'll be good to take a look at the layout of the place," Hinata suggested. Kurama nodded and they quickly headed for the ninja training fields. They found the one Kakashi had said they were using the next day and walked into it. There was a section of the river inside the grounds and a bit of field next to it until it became dense forest. In the field were three wooden posts and nearby the posts was their Sensei looking at something on the ground. Hinata blinked at him and looked at Kurama who shrugged.

"Let's just ignore him unless he bothers us. We'll fight in the trees, that'll be harder to get the feel of than this field. Unfortunately with him here I can't practice as much as I'd like or I'd reveal one of my weapons," Kurama said quietly. Hinata nodded and the two took off into the forest to begin practicing. Kakashi meanwhile stood still, thinking about his team.

" _So, Uzumaki and Hyuuga came today to scope out the area of the battle tomorrow and get some training in so that they can familiarize themselves with the landscape. More than I expected from Academy Students. They seem close, very close. I probably won't have to worry about them teamworking well, but will they include Uchiha? Will Uchiha include them? I think I'll go take a look at their training."_

The teacher turned and walked into the woods before concealing himself and going to find his two students. When he located them, they were standing in a clearing engaged in taijutsu. Kakashi observed them for a while.

" _Hyuuga using the gentle fist, no surprise there. But she seems to be adapting the movements of the standard stance slightly to conform to her body type better. Obviously she's not aiming to kill though, she's only hitting non-vital areas. Uzumaki's style is strange. It's more sophisticated than I expected from his profile, but the way he holds his hands. Fingers splayed and arched, like claws it looks like._

"Kurama, you aren't going to cause enough damage to an enemy by scratching you know."

"I could if I put effort into it."

"Right, but normally you're better off with a punch, or by using a kunai."

"Fine."

" _So she noticed it as well, but seemed to almost expect it. And why does she keep calling him Kurama? I've never heard of anyone by that name before."_  
It was at that point that Naruto glanced around and frowned before leaning close to Hinata and whispering something. She nodded and the two relaxed before turning and darting away. Kakashi raised an eyebrow.

" _Hm. That was short for a training session. Did something happen? It can't have been me, no genin of that level could've detected me in hiding. This is very strange. I'll have to keep a close eye on the both of them during the test tomorrow."_ Mind mulling over the confusing parts of his two students, Kakashi began heading for home.


End file.
